The Phantom's Happy Ending
by AtheneNoctua21
Summary: The Angel of Music is unhappy that her best student has given up on life, and on his music. She finds a college student and gives her the opportunity to fulfill her dream:Daina is going to be sent into the Phantom's world to give him the happy ending he so deserves. Erik/OC. My first ever story.
1. Prologue

**Third Person POV**

The Angel of Music looked down sadly at the scene before her. The man had such passion, such talent, even after all the hard years in his life. But he was going to let this event consume him, resulting in -in her mind- the worst decision he could make. He was going to take himself out of the world, taking his music with him. The Angel of Music would not allow this. Not after all the years she spent watching him, giving him talent that she was happy to see him hone, giving him opportunities to share his music with the world-opportunities that he did not take. She silently mused to herself. _No. This will definitely not do._ If he was to continue on with his music, he needed something else. He needed someone else. Someone to bring back his music, and to finally give him the happiness that he deserved, but was too afraid to go after. He needed a new muse. The only question now was: where to find her?

* * *

 **Daina's POV**

I'll admit it, I love happy endings. There's so many horrible things going on in the world that the only way to escape is to visit another world. The only way to do so, at least for now, is with books, movies, and TV. And when those don't have happy endings, there's fanfiction. It took me a long time to get into fanfiction, but once I started, I couldn't stop. I would latch on to one particular character, or a particular story, and read as many as I could of that one subject. Sometimes it would take days, sometimes weeks to get through all the stories I wanted to. But there was one character that fascinated me, who dug his way into my heart, so I spent months dedicated to his stories, and his alone. He was the Phantom of the Opera, the Opera Ghost, or just plain Erik.

One day my high school orchestra teacher decided that we would play a melody of Phantom of the Opera. I had heard of it, of course, but never read any of the books, or seen any of the movies. So I decide to start watching it on Netflix. And I immediately fall in love with the story. Until Christine, betraying the one person who had guided her since her father had died, ripped off his mask. It was at that point I decided I would not continue on with the story if this man did not get a happy ending. And it turns out that he didn't. Here I was expecting a story similar to Beauty and the Beast and what did I get? A shallow bitch betrays a man who has done nothing but support her, and sure, he deceived her by pretending to be an Angel but it was really his only option. And in return for all the help he gave her she runs away with a man she had not seen since they were children, and really knew nothing about. I found a fanfiction where he finally got a happy ending, and forgot about him for a few years. But during my second year of college, we played Music of the Night in orchestra, and I remembered how much I loved his story. I spent the next 3 months reading only Phantom of the Opera Fanfics, besides the work I had to do for school, dedicated to him finding his happy ending. It was during this time period I knew that if I could go into any book, disappear into any story, it would be his. And I would do whatever I could possibly do to make him happy, as he deserved to be. What I didn't know, is that one day, and one day soon, I would get my chance.

 **I know this is a short prologue, but more is to come, I promise! This is my first story, so please be nice!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Daina's POV**

The summer after my first year of college was, for the most part, non eventful. The first month was fantastic, I was one of the students selected to work on a field school in Aztalan, a state park in Wisconsin. After the first month, however, I had nothing to do. I decided not to get a job, and just enjoy doing nothing, relaxing after all the stress that college brought with it. But this lead to boredom. The only way to fill it was with fanfiction. One particular subject, in fact. I had become obsessed with Phantom of the Opera fanfiction sometime during finals week, and had been searching for any story that matched my criteria. Erik had to be happy, and it had to be with someone other than Christine. Having never actually read the real book, or seen the entirety of any of the movies or the musical, the only judgement I had on the Phantom was based on how others saw him. But I didn't care. He was fictional either way, might as well picture him the way I believed he was: a talented man forced to hide from his troubled past, beaten down and abandoned by the people who were supposed to love and care for him. It was hard to not at least sympathize with this image, and the idea that if he could have a happy ending gave me hope to someday have one of my own.

* * *

 **Third Person**

Daina looked up from her iPad, after finishing yet another Phantom of the Opera fanfic. She sighed heavily and looked around her room, wondering what she was going to do next. It always took at least half an hour to move from one story to the next; she needed to fully absorb what had happened. Finally, she decided that what she needed to curb the boredom was some mindless TV. Searching through her Netflix queue, she landed on Family Guy. Nothing said mindless TV like Family Guy, and she felt she could waste some time watching a few episodes and catching up on posts from Doctor Who and the TARDIS on Facebook. It was as she was finishing her second episode of Family Guy that the boredom began to settle in again. With no idea of what to do, she figured her only option at this point was to start planning. Planning, organizing, was always a way to occupy her mind, even if her room was a mess and she hated cleaning. She started planning what fanfic to read next. Logging on to , she began looking to see if there were any new fanfics that she might be interested in. She found some that she was willing to try, a few Frozen stories, a new series featuring Dr. Spencer Reid and an OC, and a new Supernatural story written by an author who wrote a story that she had looked at before, but never really gotten into. It was around 1:45 AM when she realized that several hours had gone by during her search, and that she was halfway done with the Supernatural story. Daina blinked, wondering where exactly the time had gone. She shook her head, momentarily disorientated, trying to remember exactly where she was, and what she was doing. Looking at her phone, she decided that it was time to start winding down for the evening. As she slipped into bed half an hour later, a nagging sensation in her head told her to start reading the next Phantom of the Opera story that was on her list. Not really caring about sleep- after all, she could sleep in as late as she wanted- it was not hard for Daina to convince herself to read the story. This story was different, however. It was not told from the Phantom's point of view, or from the OC, or even from third person. The narrator was someone who looked down at the Phantom with a sense of pride, watching the unnamed woman pick up the pieces of the broken man before her. Daina was so immersed in the story that she did not notice that the story had no author, and that there was someone in her room, watching her read the story, a small smile on her beautiful, angelic face.


	3. Chapter 2

The Angel of Music had observed Daina over the past few months. She saw how Daina connected to the man others thought of as a monster, even without knowing him. She watched Daina's love of not only reading fanfiction, but of her intellectual pursuits in school, along with continuing with playing the violin, a choice once forced upon her by her parents, but had grown to love. It was as the Angel watched Daina absorbed in the story the Angel had placed on Daina's iPad to test her reaction, she knew. The Angel of Music decided that it would be this girl, who could pick up the pieces of the broken man no one had ever tried to understand, or to love.

* * *

Daina had gotten into the habit of staying up late either reading or on the computer, and so had also gotten into the habit of sleeping in. It was not until 2 in the afternoon that Daina finally woke up, giving the Angel her chance to introduce herself. The Angel of Music made her presence known, appearing in front of Daina in a glowing white light, and spoke in an ethereal voice.

"Daina Cahill. You have been chosen." Daina turned over and fell back asleep, thinking it was all a dream.

"Hey, dude, get up! I'm trying to do something here!" Daina felt someone shaking her shoulder, trying to get her attention. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and said, annoyed "Whatever this is can't it wait? I'm tired!" Once again seeing the Angel, she sighed. "This is just a dream, anyway. Can't I at least get some sleep?"

"You want some sleep?" asked the Angel. "You just slept for 12 hours, and it's 2 in the afternoon. Get up, you have work to do!"

"I never signed up for any work!" argued Daina. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

Realizing that she had lost her professionalisms, the Angel stood up straight, and the bright light began to illuminate the room once more.

"I am the Angel of Music." came the voice, once again ethereal. "You, Daina Cahill, have been chosen to help my best student, the Phantom of the Opera, received his happy ending."

"What?" shrieked Daina.

* * *

 **I know that these chapters have been short, but that's because it's all building up until she meets Erik. That's when the chapters will get longer, and this will be soon, I promise. Also, I'm so excited that people have actually been reading this, and thank you to the two people who reviewed! That's two more that I thought I would get :)**


	4. Chapter 3

It took several minutes for the Angel of Music to get Daina to calm down. Anytime it seemed like Daina was close to being ready to talk, she would take one look at the Angel and start to freak out all over again. Eventually the Angel got tired and sat down on the end of Daina's bed, waiting for Daina to calm herself down, and move on with the conversation. After several more minutes, Daina took a deep breath and asked

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The Angel explained, in a calm voice, that Erik, also known as the Phantom of the Opera, was devastated after the events at the Opera House in Paris.

"I can't just let him give up on himself, or his music!" she continued.

"But what do you want me to do?" inquired Daina. "I don't even know his entire story, everything I know is from fanfiction!"

"That is exactly why you are perfect for the job." The Angel clarified. "You have never seen him in the way most people look at him, as a monster. You have always wanted him to have a happy ending, always believed that he deserved one. And you are right. Erik deserves a happy ending, which is why I want to send you into his world. Right now his is broken, his heart shattered after Christine. I need someone to pick up the pieces, and set him on the path that will lead him to happiness. I need someone to help him find love, his new muse, to help him make music once again."

"Are you doing all of this… just for his music?" Daina asked angrily. "Does who he is not registered to you at all? Are you using him, trying to gain something from him? Do you even care about him at all?"

"Of course I care about him!" The Angel exploded, the room suddenly shaking from the force of her anger. "Do you really think I would do this for his music? I can create music myself, I can give anybody the talents that he has, just like I gave him his. I am doing this because I have watched over him since he was a small child, watched the world turn his back on him, and I gave him everything that I could in order to give him a tiny amount of happyness. You may not believe that I care about Erik, but I look at him like a son." After a few seconds, the Angel seemed to calm down. "This is why I am sending you. You are the only person who would ask these questions of me, in order to make sure that Erik truly becomes happy. I know you are the right person for the job. Are you going to help me, and help him?

Looking shaken up, Daina gave the only response she could.

"Of course."

* * *

 **She is going into his world soon, I promise, and the chapters will get longer! Right now I'm splitting them up every so often, but once the story gets rolling, there will be less chapters, but longer ones.**


	5. Chapter 4

Once she said the words, Daina knew she would not regret them. It was, after all, what she had always dreamed about. She never imagined that it would happen, never made any preparations, it was always just the daydream that she would fantasize about whenever she was bored in Chemistry 104.

The Angel explained what was going to happen. "You can take anything with you through the portal, within reason. Nothing too big, and no electronics. You wouldn't have a way to charge them anyway, so there is no point. Besides, the only person who can know where you came from is Erik. Erik should provide for you once he is feeling better. However, there is no way to know how long that will be. Any money you take with you will be useless, and any clothes you bring with you must not be seen by anyone who does not know your secret, so only Erik. You don't have to worry about your family, or your school. As soon as I have determined that Erik is on the way to his happy ending, you can return through the portal, with little to no time having been passed. This also means that if Erik never gets his happy ending, you will never return home. Is all understood?"

Daina nodded mutely.

"Excelent. I will return tomorrow, be sure to gather everything you need. I cannot tell you how much to bring, as only you determine how long you will be staying in his world. "

* * *

Daina spent the next day gathering everything she could think of to bring. She decided that she needed her instruments, after all, she was going to be staying with the Phantom of the Opera! She was unsure of what books to bring with her. She had always wanted to read the classics, but was unsure if she would like them, or even be able to read them, as they may be in French. Cursing the fact that she took Spanish, and the fact that her high school never even offered French, she decided on bringing a French-English dictionary along with the entire Harry Potter series. The series was a mixture of a comfort blanket, chocolate, and sad songs- the only thing she would want with her in this uncertain situation. Thinking hard about the situation, she also decided to bring along some Anthropology books she had found in a second hand bookshop, a collection of essays written about physical anthropology and archaeology.

Along with the books she decided to bring, Daina thought it would be necessary to bring along some toiletries. Shampoo and conditioner, a brush, soap, deodorant, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss, and other feminine products were thrown into her suitcase. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to throw in some makeup in there, just in case.

Throwing in some clothes, including some jeans, sweatpants, shirts, undergarments, and her dad's UW Madison sweatshirt that she had worn since she was 4, Daina decided that she was ready for whatever would lie ahead. She only hoped that she was fully prepared. Just as she was about to call it quits, she suddenly remembered that she might want some pictures of her only friends, and her family, to bring along with her. Gazing sadly down at the pictures, she wondered how long it would take her to grant Erik his happy ending.

* * *

It was 10 at night when the Angel of Music returned for Daina. Glancing down at the suitcase, the violin, and the mandolin, she asked Daina if she was ready. Breathing deeply, Daina nodded her head, and stepped through the portal, without a look behind her.

* * *

 **Well, she's finally going into his world! I want to thank everybody who's reading this story, and the encouraging people who are the reason that I am continuing with this story. I never expected people would actually read something I wrote, yet alone like it. Thanks so much! As I am still on summer vacation, and didn't want to get a job this summer, I have nothing better to do than write. So guess what I'll be doing ;)!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Erik's POV**

I woke up surrounded by smoke. After a few moments, everything sank in. She left me. She had chosen that… that _fop_ over me. She was everything, and now she was gone. My everything, my life, had chosen another over me. And now I had nothing to live for. I closed my eyes, surrendering to the smoke and flames that surrounded me, ready for them to consume me, ready for the pain to finally end.

* * *

 **Third Person**

Daina stepped through the portal, dragging her stuff with her. She looked around, realizing that she was standing on the street outside what must have been the Opera House. Flames licked the sides of the building, smoke billowing from the windows. Dropping her suitcase, Daina ran towards the large mob, looking for a way into Erik's home. Somehow, she managed to get through tunnels without setting off any traps, a feat within itself. Choking on the smoke, she looked around desperately, searching for any sign of the man she was sent here to help. Hearing the mob coming closer, her search turned frantic. Stumbling around in the dark, Daina tripped over something. Cursing quietly, she quickly felt around, looking for what she tripped over. She heard a slight groan as her hand came across a face, half covered with what felt like leather. Sighing with relief, Daina knew that she had found him. She grabbed him under the arms, tugging as hard as she could, but he only moved a few inches before she gave up. Groaning, Daina knew she would have to wake him up, even if just to get him to stand. She slapped his face, shook his shoulders, yelled in his ear, until she felt him stir beneath her.

"God damn it, Erik, WAKE UP!" Daina screamed. Erik groggily opened his eyes, before closing them once again and turning away. Daina grabbed his face, and sternly said

"Erik, if you do not get up, you will die. And I will _not_ let that happen." Without opening his eyes, Erik shakily stood up. Daina supported him, placing one of his arms over her shoulders, and lacing her arm around his waist. Stumbling with the weight of him leaning against her, Daina maneuvered them back the way she came, away from the oncoming mob. As soon as they reached the street, Daina took in a deep breath, grateful to be away from the smoke. She hailed a cabby, and helped Erik get into the carriage. Looking around, she was relieved to find her suitcase, violin, and mandolin untouched, right where she left them. Grabbing her personal items, Daina quickly climbed into the carriage behind Erik.

Once settled in the carriage, Daina realized that she had no idea where to go. Sighing in defeat, she hoped to find some sort of clue on Erik. She searched his pockets, finding a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it. Unfortunately, the address was in French. Leaning out of the window, Daina handed the piece of paper to the cabby, asking if he knew where the location was. The cabby gave Daina a blank look, and she realized he did not speak English. She pointed to the paper, giving a questioning look. The cabby's expression changed from a look of bewilderment into a look of understanding, and he nodded. Sighing with relief, Daina settled back into the carriage, looking at Erik for the first time since leaving the Opera House. The dim light from the lanterns on the street showed Daina his face, still covered with the mask. The half of his face that was visible was handsome. If his entire face had been like the half that was exposed, the entirety of the female population would be after him, for his looks alone. Long eyelashes, strong cheekbones, and shoulder length black hair were only the beginning of what captivated Daina. She knew that beneath this exterior, lay a man who was at least twice as beautiful as the face before her. Her only question was how no one else could see it.

* * *

After what seemed like minutes, but was probably more like several hours, the cabby stopped in front of a grand manor. Daina left the carriage, walking up the long walkway towards the towering oak doors, surrounded by columns on both sides. She marveled at the Grecian influence, waiting for the doors to open.

The doors soundlessly flew open, and a middle aged man in a butler's uniform looked at her. After a moment's hesitation, Daina asked if he spoke English. The man nodded, and she sighed in relief.

"May I ask who the master of this house is? My associate and myself had no where else to go, but he had this address on a piece of paper."

Looking Daina up and down, the responded "The master of this house is a M. Destler. He is away at the moment, and we have no idea as to when he will be returning."

"M. Destler? That wouldn't happen to be an Erik Destler, would it?"

Surprised, the man looked closer at Daina. "It would, in fact, be a M. Erik Destler."

Daina clapped her hands. "Well, that is fantastic! It just so happens that my associate is M. Destler. " Suddenly, her face fell. "He needs help. He was trapped inside a fire, and I am afraid that he is in poor health. I would be extremely grateful for your help."

The man nodded, and headed off towards the carriage. He talked briefly with the cabby, and a few coins exchanged hands before the two men carried the Phantom of the Opera from the carriage, into his new home.

Daina grabbed her luggage and followed the men inside. Not sure what to do, she left her personal belongings by the front door and continued to follow the men up the stairs, into the master bedroom.

She watched as the two men placed Erik on the bed, and the cabby left. Daina felt Erik's head and found it unusually warm. Turning towards the man who she figured was the butler, Daina asked for a bowl of cool water and a cloth. Reluctant to leave the two alone, the man left the room and returned within a few minutes with the items requested.

Daina took the items, thanking the man. She then hesitated, not knowing if Erik would want herself, or this man, to see his face. Sighing, Daina asked the man to leave.

"It is improper to leave an unmarried man and woman alone." was his reply.

"I do not know if he would want anybody to see his face. One of us has to however, and I am the one who has been prepared for this. I know that this is improper, but nothing improper will happen. He has a fever, and I need to cool him down."

Nodding, but obviously not happy with the situation, the man left the room. Daina removed Erik's mask, noticing that part of the damage seemed to come from the skin being rubbed raw. She started dabbing at his face with the cloth, unsure of what to do. Deciding that the best thing to do at this moment was to keep him cool, and remain by his side until he woke up, she continued to dab at his face. After covering his face with a cloth, Daina sat in a plush armchair that was nearby, and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

 **Well, she is finally in his world, and has already saved him from the fire and the mob. Step one completed. Next step, make him healthy and gain his trust. Thank you everybody who is reading and reviewing! It means so much to me!**

 **Theta-McBride: You may be right. Would she want to leave him? I guess we'll have to find out!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Daina**

Daina woke a few hours later from the sound of groaning and someone moving about on the bed. She rubbed her eyes, not realizing where she was. After a few seconds, she noticed that Erik was having what seemed like a nightmare, thrashing from side to side, his arms and legs reaching to fight off unknown attackers. Not knowing what to do, she sat down next to his sleeping form, and did her best to calm him down. Daina stroked his face, and whispered comforting words, letting him know that he was safe, no one was trying to him. It took several minutes for him to calm down, at which time she moved to get off the bed and make her way back to the chair. However, as soon as she moved away from him, he began to toss and turn once again. Daina quickly settled back down next to Erik, once again giving him comfort. She felt awkward, as she barely knew the man, but knew that she had to do all that she could to help him, even if he had no idea who she was. Realizing that if she moved again, Erik would once again struggle, she laid down next to him, ready to comfort him again if the need arose. It was in this position that she fell asleep once again.

* * *

 **Erik**

Erik awoke in a warm bed, with a slight pressure across his chest. After giving his eyes a few seconds to adjust, he realized that the pressure he felt was an arm, and that there was a woman lying next to him. He struggled to remember what had happened. There was no memory of him getting into a bed, no memory of any woman, let alone one with fiery, copper hair. In fact, the last thing Erik remembered was… someone screaming at him to get up, and helping him get away from a fire. Suddenly, Erik remembered the fire, the mob, everything. He had wanted to die. He still wanted to die. Why hadn't he? The figure next to him shifted, moving closer to him, and Erik realized that he still had no idea who this was. He stared dumbfounded at the woman, no idea what to do. Should he wake her? Should he let her sleep? Having never been in this situation before, or anything similar to it, Erik had no idea on what protocol was correct for finding a stranger in his bed. Ideas ran through his head, from yelling at the woman until she became terrified and ran away, solving the problem for him, to waiting until she woke up, hoping that she could answer his questions. Knowing that she may be the only one who could give him the answers he craved, Erik decided to let her sleep. He buried his face in his hands, struggling against his instinct to wake the woman up and throw her out. It was then he noticed that he was not wearing his mask. This irritated him further. Erik got out of bed, careful to not wake the woman, and noticed for the first time that he was not wearing his mask. _Why would a woman be lying next to me in bed, and why am I not be wearing my mask? Had she seen my face?_ Erik shook his head at that thought. _Of course she had not seen my face. If she had, she would not have been sleeping next to me, she would have ran away from the monster, no matter who she is._ He got out of bed, careful to not wake the woman. Finding his mask, Erik turned and left the room, determined to find out where he was, and what had happened.

* * *

Erik walked out of the room, and noticed that he was in a large manor. The large manor he had bought for himself and Christine, more specifically. Looking around, he spotted the man he had hired to be his butler.

"M. Destler, it is so wonderful to see you up and about!" Exclaimed M. Alban. Suddenly he frowned. "Where is your associate? I assume that she found a room to stay in after she took care of you."

"My associate? I have no idea who that woman is. Who is she? Why is she here? How am I here? What exactly happened last night?" M. Alban blinked, not knowing what to say.

"You and your associate showed up last night in a cabby. The cabby and myself carried you into the master bedroom, where your associate discovered that you had a fever. She took it upon herself to cool you down, and I have not seen her since. I placed her things in the guest room on the second floor, a few doors down from the master room, and figured that once she had finished attending to you, she had moved down there. I am not entirely sure who she is, or what happened last night. You will have to take that up with her. In the meantime, would you like some breakfast? My wife, the chef, has prepared a meal for you and your … companion."

Erik had no idea what to say. Was she the figure who had gotten him out of the fire? How had she known he was there? How had she known to take him here? Why was she in his bed? His conversation with M. Alban had done nothing but leave him with more questions. Erik shook his head, realizing that M. Alban had been waiting for a response.

"I would love some breakfast, thank you. Please let me know once my… companion has woken up." With that, Erik followed M. Alban to the dining room, and, once receiving his food and waiting for the staff to leave, began to eat.

* * *

 **Daina**

Daina woke up, and stared off into space for a few minutes. She attempted to get her thoughts together, and remember where she was. Shaking her head, she asked herself when she would wake up and remember exactly what happened. This was the second time since she arrived in Erik's world, but she was already getting tired of it. The first thing she noticed was that she was in Erik's bed. The second thing she noticed was that she was alone. Rubbing her eyes, Daina got out of bed and walked out of the room. Walking downstairs, she looked around for anybody to direct her to either Erik, a bathroom, or some food. She ran into a short, thin girl who looked to be around fourteen. The girl had long brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin. "Ooh!" Daina exclaimed. "I am so sorry, please forgive me. I have to start watching where I am going, especially when I just woke up."

The girl gave her a confused look. "Just woke up? It is after one in the afternoon. Why have you just woken up?"

"Um…" Daina responded "I had a… tough time falling asleep last night. Anyway, may I ask where the bathroom is? And where is Mr. Destler?"

"The bathroom is down the hall to the right," the girl responded. "And M. Destler is in the music room."

Daina sighed. Of course Erik would be in the music room. "Thanks!" Daina said enthusiastically. She turned around and made her way to the bathroom, not noticing the questioning gaze of the girl.

* * *

After using the bathroom, which she was relieved to see had indoor plumbing, Daina made her way out into the main area once again. She looked around, trying to find the music room, when the smell of freshly baked bread caught her interest. Daina followed her nose, and ended up in the kitchen. "Hello!" Daina called, seeing a plump, middle aged woman taking bread out of the oven. This woman looked like an older, rounder version of the girl she had talked to before. "My name is Daina. It's nice to meet you!"

The woman gave Daina the once over, noticing the girl's disheveled hair, unusual clothes, and use of the English language. "Oh, you must be the woman who brought M. Destler here!" the woman exclaimed. Still unsure of this woman, but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, the woman asked Daina if she would like something to eat.

"Of course I would!" Daina replied. "The bread smells delicious. I've always wanted fresh baked French bread!"

"You've never had fresh baked French bread?" the woman inquired. "Where are you from?" With that Daina paused, her hand halfway to her mouth, said mouth already stuffed with bread. Chewing slowly, Daina thought about what she was going to say. _I can't exactly say I'm from the future. Maybe just saying I'm from America is enough to explain my strange behavior_. Daina suddenly looked down, realizing she was wearing her UW Madison sweat pants and a white camisole. _And hopefully my attire._

Swallowing her bread, Daina explained that she was from America, and was visiting Paris. "I feel so unprepared," she continued, ducking her head and blushing. "I don't even know any French." The woman nodded, taking Daina's explanation without any questions.

"Well, I am Cecilia. Would you like anything else to eat?"

Daina shook her head, but grabbed another piece of bread. "I'm good with bread right now, thanks. Do you know where Er… I mean, M. Destler is?" Cecilia nodded, and pointed Daina in the direction of the music room.

Daina entered the music room, realizing why she couldn't find it before. She had been listening for music, rather than looking for the room itself, and Erik was not playing anything. Coughing slightly, Daina walked up behind Erik, who sitting at the piano, but staring off into space, apparently in deep thought. Jumping, Erik turned around, scowling. "Who are you?" he practically spat out at Daina. Unsure of what he said, as it had been in French, Daina stuck out her hand. "My name is Daina Cahill. It's nice to meet you" she added with a smile.

* * *

 **Erik**

Erik stared at amazement at the woman in front of him. She seemed to not be afraid of him, and had even saved him. This woman… Daina… apparently had no idea who he was. He internally scoffed at the idea. Of course she didn't, she didn't even seem to speak French; there was no way she knew who the Phantom of the Opera was. He noticed she was still looking at him, apparently waiting for a response. Switching to English, Erik let out all the pent up questions that had building since he woke up.

"Who are you? What happened last night? How did we get here? Do you even know who I am? How did you know where I was?" These questions had been asked with force, volume. Not quite yelling, but louder than a normal conversation. Suddenly, Erik's voice became much quieter, practically shrinking, as if he didn't want her to hear the next questions. "Why were you in my bed? Why… why did you save me?"

Daina stared at Erik for a few minutes. Erik tried to be his usual, intimidating self, but found that in front of this woman, somehow he just couldn't. He felt himself shrinking back, almost afraid of the answers she would give.

"As I said, I am Daina Cahill. I saved you from the fire in the Opera House. We took a cabby here, I gave him the address that I found in your pocket. I know who you are, Mr. Phantom. I was in your bed because I fell asleep after you needed to be calmed down, because you were having nightmares. And..." Suddenly Daina looked away, unsure of how to respond to his previous questions. "I saved you because you needed and deserved to be saved, and I knew who you were because of the Angel of Music. She sent me here, to give you your happy ending."

* * *

 **I hope that you guys are enjoying the story (See? The chapters are getting longer, little by little!) I'd really like to thank everybody who reviews, follows, favorites, or even just reads the story, it means a lot to me. I now have a beta,** **nibblesfan, and I would really recommend checking out her stories, I certainly enjoyed. A big thank you to you!**

 **I also realized yesterday that I had forgotten to put disclaimers in my previous chapters. I am planning on going back and fixing that, but I will start right now. I do not own any of the Phantom of the Opera, just my own OC.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Erik**

Erik looked at Daina, a peculiar expression on his face. Shaking his head, Erik muttered "Angel of Music." Looking Daina straight in the eyes, he narrowed his own. "I don't know who you think you are, or who you are fooling," he began. "But I don't appreciate you trying to convince me that you were sent here by an _angel_. Thank you for saving me, but that is all. I am not going to be fooled into… whatever your game is here. If you need money for… whatever happened last night, I'll pay you, and you can be on your way. Just… take your stuff and go. I am not interested." Finished with telling this woman off, this woman who had the _audacity_ to think that telling him the Angel of Music had sent her would get him to feel sympathy or to give her money, Erik turned away from Daina and stalked away, his burnt cape swishing as he attempted to get as much distance between himself and his savior. Before he left the room, he heard a loud exclamation.

"Listen here, buddy" Daina began. "I did not come here because I _wanted_ something from you. The only thing I want to do is to _help_ you, you stubborn, obnoxious _Phantom_." she practically spat the words out at Erik's retreating figure. "I saved your life, and you thank me by calling me a _hooker?_ " Even though he didn't understand all the words that she had yelled at him, the anger in her voice left no doubt at what she was feeling. At this point, Erik had turned around, and saw the woman marching angrily up at him. Even though he was being yelled at, he couldn't help but notice this stranger's beauty. Her long, auburn hair shone as it fell in perfect curls down her shoulders. Her eyes, the color of emeralds, sparkled with anger. A light dusting of freckles covered her otherwise flawless, pale skin. Erik mentally shook himself, forcing himself to pay attention to what she was saying. He knew that what he said was rude, but only if what she had said was untrue. _But…_ he thought. _It had to be untrue. Right?_

* * *

 **Daina**

Daina was only halfway through with her rant when she noticed that Erik was staring off into space. "Dude!" she called. "Are you even listening to me?" She noticed that he tore his eyes away from her, not without effort, before looking around the room, not seeming to be searching for anything in particular. "Listen," she sighed. "I know this is hard to believe, but I _am_ telling the truth. I was sent here by the Angel of Music. She… well… she knows what happened, and didn't want to lose you, or your music. So she sent me here, to save you, and to give you the happy ending that you deserve. The truth is, I left home to be here, and unless I make sure your happy ending happens, I am never going back." With that, Daina paused, thinking of anything she could do to show him that what she told him was the truth. She knew it would be hard, but she didn't realize it would be _this_ hard. _Hmmm…_ she mused. _In the other stories people showed him their electronics to prove they came from the future. I can't do that._ Suddenly her face lit up, and she knew what she could show him.

"Here, follow me!" Daina exclaimed, grabbing the hand of a bewildered Erik, dragging him behind her as she ran towards the entrance hall. "I have some things that can prove where I came from. They won't prove why or how I'm here, but they will have to do." Daina suddenly stopped, realizing that she didn't know what had happened to her personal belongings. "Um…" she stumbled through. "You wouldn't know what happened to my stuff, would you?"

Erik turned towards her, a look of confusion still on his face. "My butler, M. Alban, placed your things in a guest room down the hall from mine. He apparently expects you to be here from quite some time." With this, he frowned. "I am not so sure."

Daina felt a small amount of sadness wash through her, before assuring herself that he was only saying this because he thought she was lying. _And a hooker,_ she said mentally, giving him a small scowl. Daina grabbed his hand once again, running up the stairs and into the room he motioned to. Throwing her suitcase down on the bed, she began rifling through her items.

* * *

 **Erik**

Erik could not help but stare at this confusing woman before him. She had not only scolded him, _him,_ after knowing who he was, but had actually grabbed his ungloved hand without a hint of revolution or remorse, and dragged him around his own house. He didn't know whether to be mad, or somewhat thrilled at what was happening, but he did know one thing. He was definitely intrigued.

Quiet mutterings could be heard as Daina rifled through her items. "No, that won't help, this might do, wait… found it!" Suddenly the redhead popped up, several books in her hands.

"Now, I know this won't make sense. But then again, nothing I have said so far has made sense." she added as an afterthought. "I told you why I came here, but not where I came from. Explaining that is just as hard, if not harder, as what I already told you." Giving a deep breath, Daina began telling Erik where it was, exactly, she was from.

* * *

 **Daina**

"I am from Wisconsin, in the United States of America." With this statement, Daina turned so that Erik could see _**UW Madison**_ across her sweatpants. "I currently attend college at the University of Wisconsin Madison. I am an anthropology student. And… I came from the year 2015." Daina set her books down in front of her. "I brought several books with me, but these are the ones that might prove the most that I'm from where I say I am. Look." She held up the first book she brought with her. _Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind_ by Dr. Johanson. "This book was written by a Dr. Johannson, about a skeleton they named Lucy. Lucy was the first australopithecus found, and was one step towards proving Darwin's Theory of Evolution. She was discovered in 1974, in Ethiopia, Africa." Turning to the next book, Daina continued. "I have several more books like these, because I am studying physical anthropology, but hope to specialize in either forensic anthropology or bioarchaeology. Even though these books are old compared to the time I'm from, for you I'm _positive_ they will be full of new information."

She sat down on the bed, waiting for Erik to absorb all the information she had just given him. "Don't just take my word for it. Read these books, and if you still want to kick me out, I'll go." She stood up to leave the room. "Just a reminder though, it is not just your happy ending on the line here. I may have volunteered to be here, but that doesn't mean I don't want to go back home." She handed Erik the books, and the photographs of her friends and family. "I'm here for you, but I need to go back for them." With that, she turned and walked out, leaving Erik to make his decision.

* * *

 **Erik**

Erik stood, looking at the books in his hands. Not only was she telling him that she was sent by the Angel of Music, but she was also telling him that she was brought here from the _future?_ With everything that she had said, his skepticism had grown. Along with it, however, grew his curiosity. Was she telling the truth? If she wanted to go home so badly, why did she come here in the first place? He still didn't know how she knew who he was.

Sighing, he sat down on the bed, opening the first book she gave him. He noticed that, while it did seem like it was several years old, it was published in 1990. Shaking his head at this piece of information, still not knowing whether or not to trust it, he began to read. An hour later, he was still reading as Daina came back into the room.

"Oh." She said in surprise, startled to see him still there. "I thought you would have left by now, at least to read somewhere else. I just came in here to grab something." Daina picked up her favorite Harry Potter book, _The Prisoner of Azkaban_ , before turning to leave again. "If or when you come to a decision on whether or not I'm telling the truth, I'll be in the library." Looking down at what she was wearing, she blushed, and went back to her suitcase, this time pulling out UW Madison sweater. "Sorry about that, I keep forgetting what I'm wearing is not appropriate for this time period." With that, she turned to leave again.

"Wait" Erik called, stopping her from leaving. "I don't know yet whether or not to believe you, but after reading this, I _want_ to, or at least believe you about where you come from. It's nice to be able to think that humans one day focus more on science than religion, especially concerning the controversy of Darwin's Theory of Evolution; the book only came out a few years ago. This...," he continued, shaking the book. "This book shows that great strides will come in scientific discovery, and that people will be more willing to accept it. That alone makes me want to believe you."

* * *

 **Daina**

Daina stared at Erik in shock. She knew that giving him the book would have some sort of impact, she just didn't realize _how_ _much_ of an impact it would have on him. Just hoping that the date and the information would convince him where she came from, she didn't realize how much he would take what the book said to heart. _Well,_ she mused, _he has been described as loving science, being an inventor. And he always been described as not believing in God. No wonder this book means so much to him._

"Um… well…" Daina struggled, not knowing exactly how to respond to what he had said. "In my time, there are still a lot of people who don't believe in evolution, but I don't count myself among them." Laughing, Daina continued. "I couldn't very well be studying what I am if I didn't believe in evolution, could I? Anyway, I knew that telling you and getting you to believe me were going to be very difficult, but at least I don't have to do it again. I'm not supposed to tell anyone else." She suddenly frowned. "Which means it will be difficult explaining why I'm here to the members of your staff, wouldn't it. I don't think your butler likes me very much. Or your maid." Daina gave him a small smile. "At least Cecilia seems to like me. I need her on my side if I want to eat, especially since I'm quite a picky eater."

Daina sat down next to Erik on the bed, glad that he was now at least open to hearing what she had to say. "So," she asked. "Do you have any more questions? About where I'm from, I mean. I told you why I'm here, and I know it's confusing, but I did tell you everything I know about what I'm supposed to do here."

Erik gave her a calculating look, but she could see curiosity and excitement growing in his eyes. "Oh, I have questions Daina. So many questions."

* * *

 **Well, they are finally talking. Maybe he'll really believe her, and she can get started on why she came: helping him get his happy ending. I am planning on writing more about Daina's personality and background, she has some idea of what Erik went through, which is why she was so sympathetic to his character. Erik may not know it yet, but the person who saved his life may save him in more than one way.**

 **As always, thanks to anybody who reads, favorites, follows, or reviews this story. It really means a lot to me, especially for my first story. You guys are the reason I am still writing this!**

 **It is probably going to be longer in-between chapters due to the fact that I do have a beta reader who needs time to review, but in my opinion the edited chapters are much better than the chapters that I originally give her, and I want to thank nibblesfan for that once again.**

 **And, as a disclaimer, I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, I only own my OC.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Erik**

He wasn't completely ready to trust why she was here, but Erik was too intrigued to completely dismiss that she may have come from the future. Given what he had already read in the book, scientific discovery had taken great leaps and bounds from the current time.

Erik shot question after question at Daina. She did her best to explain scientific advances, and how they were used in common everyday occurrences, such as TV and movies. He seemed to not grasp the concept entirely, but continued asking questions, his curiosity never wavering.

After the third question she couldn't answer, she laughingly told him "Look, this may be what I'm studying in college, but I've only just finished my first year. I'm planning on at least ten more years of school before I'd be considered an expert in my chosen field. I'll answer any questions I can, but there will be a lot that I can't. I just wish you had Google; that would make answering your questions so much easier." Erik's face turned into an expression of bewilderment.

"Google? Is that some sort of disease? Why would that make my questions easier to answer?" Daina laughed, and started explaining the concept of the internet, and searching the web.

* * *

 **Daina**

Daina's stomach let out a loud, low growl, indicating how long she and Erik had been sitting in her room, discussing the future. Embarrassed, Daina looked at the clock on the bedstand, realizing that it was after six.

"Wow, time really flies, huh?" She asked. "Anyway, what time do people in France usually eat? I know in some countries they don't eat until much later. If dinner is planned for much later, I'm going to have to go get a snack."

"I usually do not eat that often, but the traditional French dinner is usually served around 8:30 at night."

Daina groaned, knowing that she could wait another hour and a half, but not wanting to.

"However," Erik continued, "If you are truly hungry, we could have tea, and perhaps continue our conversation?"

Daina now saw hope mixed in with his inquisitiveness. Not wanting to disappoint him, but definitely wanting to eat, Daina agreed.

* * *

 **Erik**

Situated in the library, Daina and Erik continued asking Daina questions. Tea, croissants, eclairs were placed on a table between the two of them. Erik was sitting on a couch while she sat across from him in an armchair. Eventually, Daina interrupted him.

"I realize that you want to know more about the future, but unfortunately, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to get you your happy ending. So this means I have to ask. What do you want?" Erik blinked. No one, _no one_ had _ever_ asked him that question before. He had spent his entire life doing what others had wanted, forced into it, in fact. Even when it seemed he finally had freedom, and he felt he was doing what he wanted- teaching Christine- it had ended with him realizing that he had been used for another's gain.

"I… I don't know" came his halting response.

"Well, you seem awfully interested in science, I read that you were an inventor, not sure if that is true here or not. You are an amazing musician, and a wonderful composer, that might be something you could persue. Oh, you have also been reported to be an architect, and even a painter. I'm sure any of those would make wonderful professions that you could become extremely successful in. You could focus on one, with others being hobbies, or choose more. It's entirely up to you."

Erik stared at Daina. How had she known this about him? It is true that he was an architect; he had, in fact, designed the Palais Garnier. But only Nadir and Madame Giry knew of this, along with his love of painting. He figured it was common knowledge that the Phantom of the Opera was a musician and composer, after the debacle of the performance of _Don Juan Triumphant,_ but he had attempted to keep his inventions a secret after Persia. Too many people had used his inventions to torture and kill others, and so the only person in France who would know about this was Nadir. Was it possible that Daina knew him?

"Do you know Nadir?" he asked, caution running through his tone.

"Nadir? No. Oh, but that means that Persia did happen. I was wondering, some mention Persia, some don't."

"Some what?" Erik asked, this time exasperated as well as with a hint of growing anger.

"The stories. I've read a lot, but they all have different backgrounds, different endings. Of course, none of these were your real story, just ones written by fans, so some liberties may have been taken. I wouldn't know, I haven't read the actual book." With this, Daina stopped suddenly, a look of embarrassment on her face. Erik could feel his face growing darker, angrier with the scowl he was suddenly sending at the woman sitting before him. "Oops. I forgot that you didn't know about the stories."

His gaze did not waver an inch. Erik stared Daina down, waiting for her to crack. However, this was unnecessary. Daina sighed, and told him how exactly she came to know who he was, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra.

* * *

 **Daina**

She was not looking forward to his. It was one thing to be from the future, but it was a completely different situation to know that in the future the entire world knew your background, all the horrible events that you had done, the most embarrassing and horrible moments in your life. It wouldn't matter that everyone believed that he was fictional, Erik would see it as a huge breach in privacy, and might hate her for it. She took a deep breath, and let it out in a huge sigh. _I am not ready for this_. However much she hated it, Daina knew that Erik deserved the truth.

"Well, I've already told you that I'm from the future. What I didn't tell you, was that people know about. They believe that you are a fictional character, but there are books, movies, musicals about your life. Each one has a different background on who you are, but they all have one thing in common. Every single story about you is about...well… it's about what happened at the Opera House."

Daina dared to look up at Erik after saying this, not sure what to expect. She saw the anger that she knew was coming, his entire face was consumed with what looked like fury and hate, all except for a small part. In his eyes, Daina saw confusion and hurt mixed in with the anger.

"I never read the books, never went to see the musical, only saw half of the movie. I have this bad habit. I don't like unhappy endings. Every time I start a new TV show or book, I feel the need to know what is going to happen before I decide to invest time and emotions into the story and the characters. Halfway through the movie, I looked up what happened. I couldn't bring myself to finish after learning how it ended for you. Here I was expecting a _Beauty and the Beast_ like situation and what did I get? The person that I connected with was the one who was left to an oncoming mob, his heart broken by the one person he thought might love him someday."

Daina shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. Even though she had always viewed him as a fictional character, something within her felt the need to protect this man. She not only sympathized with him, she empathized. Whatever had happened in her past might not have been as horrible as his, but it was bad enough that she felt drawn to the man in front of her.

"I became obsessed with fanfiction. Fanfiction is fiction written using characters and events from a movie, TV show, or book, and is written by a fan of the story. Usually what happens is that people want to change something that happened in the story, be it an event, a relationship, or even adding another character. I spent months reading stories about you. Other people who believed that you deserved a happy ending, writing situations where this occurred. Everything I learned about you, I learned from reading these stories, each one with a different background for you."

She looked up at Erik, relieved to see the anger draining from his face. He still looked extremely unhappy, but the confusion she had seen before was now more apparent.

"I had some idea of who you are, not as The Phantom, but as the man, when I came here. However, I don't know for sure. I don't know which background is the one you lived through, but it doesn't matter, because I know that whichever one it was, it was horrible, something no one should have to live through." She moved closer to Erik, who was still sitting on the couch in front of her, sitting next to him. Daina reached up, hesitant, to the good side of his face, her eyes asking permission. When he nodded, she placed her hand on his left cheek, and he turned into her hand, unconsciously seeking the comfort he had never been given.

Her next words were quiet, barely a whisper. "Whatever you've been through, it was something _you_ didn't deserve." The tears in her eyes began to overflow as the emotion she had always had for him engulfed her. She knew she had always became too attached to fictional characters, they were real to _her._ But this time, he wasn't just real to her. He was real. And that was enough for her. Apparently it was enough for him too, as he closed his eyes, his face still leaning into her palm, a single tear running down his cheek.

* * *

 **Hey! I know that the times between each chapter has been getting longer, I've actually been busy with some stuff. I will continue to do my best to update regularly, and of course will do my best to make the chapters and the story enjoyable.**

 **She finally told him that she knows about his past, and accepts him for it anyway. It's only been a day, but hopefully he can start to believe that she only has the best intentions towards helping him.**

 **Thanks again to everybody who reads, reviews, favorites or follows. I really appreciate that you take your time to look at my stuff, and love the idea that people actually like it.**

 **As always, I do not own The Phantom of the Opera.**

 **Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Daina**

Daina wiped the tear trailing down Erik's cheek away with her thumb, before leaning back and placing her hands into her lap. After everything she told him, she felt awkward. She had no idea what to say next, and Erik looked like he had no idea either.

She glanced at the clock and saw that the time read 8:24. Jumping on this opportunity, Daina exclaimed "Look at the time! Dinner must almost be ready. I, for one, am starving." She got up and practically raced out of the library, not realizing two things: the first was that she had no idea where the dining room was, and the second was the stunned expression on Erik's face as he watched her leave.

* * *

She sat at the table, staring at the soup in front of here. _At least it's relatively normal food,_ Daina mused. Having been a picky eater all her life, she was scared at what she was going to find at the diner table. The only information she had on French food was the bread, the dessert, and the food she dubbed "Bizarre Food Style." This category included escargot and frog legs, and is what she was dreading finding.

What sat in front of her was French Onion soup. By no means one of the more exotic items available for consumption, the fact remained that she hated onions. Absolutely despised the texture. Daina didn't mind the taste, if an item was made with onion powder or there was a stew where she could pick around the onions, she was perfectly fine. But the entirety of the dish she was expected to eat was onions, with some cheese on top.

Doing her best to pick around the onions, Daina attempted to consume at least part of the dish. She didn't want to offend the only person in the house, _well, the only person besides Erik_ she thought hopefully, who actually seemed to like her. And while she hoped that Erik believed her, she also hoped that he liked her at least a little bit. Daina had always viewed Erik as a sort of a kindred spirit, and hoped that at some point he would see that in her too.

She shook her head, forcing herself to once again focus on her dish, disappointed to see it still at the same level of fullness that it was before she began her internal rant. Sighing, she realized that the dish had so many onions in it, it would be impossible to pick around it. She placed her spoon down, indicating that she was finished, and looked up. Daina was ready to start the next course, and furiously hoped that no one would notice her lack of interest in the dish. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

"Are you feeling ill?" Erik inquired.

Daina shook her head and felt her cheeks heat up with the blush she knew would come. Erik, confused, leaned in to look closer at her face, a look of concern appearing on his. She could feel her blush deepen at this.

"I'm fine, it's just that I'm a very picky eater, and don't like onions."

* * *

 **Erik**

He nodded, remembering what she had said before about being glad that Cecilia seemed to like her. "I'm quite positive that if you requested Cecilia to not make certain dishes, she would honor your wishes."

Erik heard Daina sigh, and waited for her response.

"I'm sure she would, she is very nice. It would be too much though, I have very particular tastes. If worst comes to worst, I'm sure I could survive on bread, cheese, fruit, and desserts." She smiled, and Erik felt… something. He wasn't sure what it was, but a part of him felt… warmer? That couldn't be the case. The only person who had ever done that to him before was Christine, and he would never betray her by feeling anything for anyone else. Especially after only a day. But.. was that really what he was feeling with Daina? After promising himself that even if Christine had chosen that _fop_ over him, he could, and would, get her back, Erik forced himself to focus on the words Daina was saying.

"There are so many things that I don't like, or pairings that I don't like together. It doesn't help that I don't exactly know a lot about French cuisine, which makes it harder. The bread is fantastic though. And I absolutely love cheese, being from Wisconsin. Of course, creme brulee is absolutely fantastic. Best example, in my opinion, of how vanilla can be more delicious than chocolate."

She gave a small laugh. "Of course, I am completely going on a tangent here." Waggling her finger at Erik, she warned "You best not ask me things you don't want to hear a lengthy answer to. I may be shy and quiet on occasions where I feel uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean I can't talk the ear off anyone who will listen when I do. Feel comfortable that is."

Erik barely noticed the blush that crept up her cheeks, making her lovely face even more becoming- in his opinion- as he was too busy thinking of what she had said. _Does she feel comfortable around me?_ Then he shook his head, wondering why he even cared. After all, Christine was the one he loved. His heart belonged to her, and he _would_ get her back.

* * *

 **Daina**

Fortunately for Daina, the rest of the course were items that she was happy to eat. A salad with orange slices and brie cheese followed the soup she was so reluctant to eat, quickly replaced with roasted duck in a lavender sauce, and chocolate mousse for dessert.

The meal was eaten almost entirely in silence after what Daina said. Two voices in her head were yelling at each other. The louder of the two was definitely not on her side. _Why would you go on such a long rant? Do you want to scare him away? He's barely starting to believe you as it is!_ The other voice was much softer, and almost a whisper, fighting to be heard. _But he does believe you now. And he knows that you know his story and hasn't even attempted to hurt you. In almost every story you've read, if anybody learns his secret, he Punjabs them._ The louder voice quickly responded. _He's in shock. No one has ever told them that they accepted him, that they were comfortable around him. You've told him that, and once he gets out of his shock, he's going to realize that you only know the stories of him. You have different ideas of what he's been through, but don't know which version. For all you know, it's something you haven't ever heard of before! It doesn't matter anyway. You are not here to teach him about the future, or to make friends. It's your job to get him his happy ending, through whatever means necessary. Besides, he loves Christine. It's only been a day, and even if she is a terrible person, he doesn't see that. He loves her, he has loved her for years, one day will not get him to move on so he can be happy. Before you do anything else, you have to make him believe that he is better off without that shallow bitch, even if he will hate you for it later on._

She sighed, realizing the louder voice in her head was right. It wasn't her job to make Erik like her, just to get him his happy ending. If need be, she would be required to force him into doing something he might not want to do, as long as it the end result was one that the Angel of Music would approve of.

* * *

 **Erik**

Erik was in a similar turmoil during the meal. Unknown to him, the yelling match Daina was having in her head was correct. He _was_ shocked by what she said, and it _was_ , at least mostly, to do with what she had said. No one _had_ ever accepted him, or said that they were comfortable around him.

He was reeling at the idea that somebody would actually want to help him after everything he'd been through, everything he'd done. Not even Christine, the woman he loved, wanted anything to do with him. Maybe the reason Daina did was because she knew his story.

 _Or at least she has an idea of what happened._ His inner voice thought. _As soon as she knows the truth, the real, honest, this is not a story truth, she will run. Just like the others. Just like… just like Christine. And even if she has some idea of what is under this mask, once she sees it, it will be the end._ The voice tried to come up with an excuse for why she had comforted Erik in his sleep while he wasn't wearing the mask. _She must not have known, after all, it was dark._ His hateful voice spoke the words that he knew, just knew, to be true. It gave him some hope, however, that if he explained his situation to Christine, she might be willing to give him a second chance.

* * *

 **Third Person**

After dinner, Daina and Erik retreated back to the library, still nervous. Daina nervous because she had opened herself up to the man she had always felt a connection to in all the stories she read. She knew she didn't know the real him, just had some ideas of what had happened, and that he was still focused on Christine. She knew that she had said too much, too fast, to the man who had no idea of who she was, and was scared that he would not want anything to do with her now. Daina didn't want that, she wanted to get to know this man in front of her, and she wanted to help him, not just to get back home.

Erik was nervous because he had decided that he was going to ask Daina to help him get Christine back as part of his "happy ending." He knew that she said she would help him, but had said nothing about helping him get Christine back; she had only talked about his career. He was scared that this meant that there was no hope for him regaining the love he had lost just the previous day.

Taking the same seats that they had sat in previously, the two sat in silence for a good five minutes. Neither knew where to look, Daina focused on her hands, once again in her lap, Erik staring at a painting on the wall. Twiddling her thumbs, Daina finally broke the slightly awkward silence.

* * *

 **Daina**

"So…" she started, unsure of what to say. "Um… I guess at this point it's just letting you decide what you want. With your life, in regards to your happy ending, whatever will make you happy, that's what I'm here to help you with. I'm… going to go up now, and read until bed I guess." Not waiting for a response, she left the room and made her way up the stairs. It wasn't until she left the lit library that she realized that the lightbulb was not exactly an everyday household item yet, it not having even been invented yet. Sighing, she turned around to re enter the library and ask Erik for a lantern, or some sort of light. Letting out a surprised "Oomph" Daina ran into him, realizing not for the first time how very tall and… firm he was.

"Sorry" she muttered. "I just came back for some sort of light source. I'm not exactly used to the way nighttime usually works nowadays." Erik silently handed over one of the two candle holders- both holding a lit candle. Daina gave him a small smile, knowing that he knew she would need one. Her smile changed to one of thanks, before she turned around once again, this time actually managing to make it all the way to her room with no interruptions.

* * *

She woke up in the middle of the night. This was no rarity, it happened at least a few times a week. Daina went to look at her alarm clock, only to realize that, of course, she did not have one. At least not the iHome she was used to. With no light to look at the clock she _did_ have, Daina took it as a sign that it at least wasn't time to get up. Rolling over, she attempted to fall back asleep, only to learn what it was that woke her up. She could hear groaning, getting louder, mixing in with whimpers coming from a room nearby. Daina didn't even need to search any other rooms, knowing exactly who was making the noise. Quickly getting out of bed, she found the nearby matches and lit the candle Erik had given her earlier.

She made her way to his room, only a few doors down from hers. Wondering if anybody else had heard him, she quietly opened his door, to see him thrashing about in his sleep the same way he had done the night before. Placing the candle on the bedside table, Daina lay down next to him, calming him as she had previously done. She knew that it was extremely improper for the time period, but figured the staff most likely already thought she was a prostitute, and even if they did, she didn't care. She wasn't there to become an upstanding member of society, so if Erik needed someone to help him after what was hopefully the climax in his unfortunate, miserable circumstances, she would happily give up her reputation to be that person. Erik quickly quieted down, and she nodded back off to sleep, knowing that he needed somebody there, even if it was somebody he had only met that day, even if he had lost the love of his life only the night before.

* * *

 **Heres the next chapter! I hope people are enjoying it, I know I am enjoying writing it. Thanks to everybody who reads, reviews, follows, or favorites, it really means a lot to me.**

 **A big thanks to my beta reader, nibblesfan, she is really helping me out, making me look critically at each element of the chapter. I hope you guys don't think I'm going in too much depth with Daina's picky eating habits, I have a reason for it later, I promise!**

 **As always, I do not own Phantom of the Opera, only Daina.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Erik**

For the second day in a row, Erik woke up with a woman's arm draped across his chest. This time, however, he knew who the woman was, and had -at least a tiny- idea of what had happened. He was embarrassed that this woman had been forced to comfort him for the second time. This time, however, when he got out of bed, he woke her up. He heard a mumbled response of "Turn off the light" as he saw Daina roll over, dragging the covers along with her. Looking at the clock, he saw the time read 9:23, much later than he normally got up. Erik smirked. He had never experienced someone who liked to sleep in as much as Daina apparently did. Or, at least, no one who had the option. Most days at the Opera House the staff woke up before seven in the morning, including the performers. After shutting the drapes, Erik left the room, making his way to the music room.

He had always felt most comfortable when surrounded by music. Daina had listed a good amount of his major interests yesterday, telling him each one would be a viable option to pursue while on trying to achieve his happy ending. Erik pondered his options, realizing that there was really only one that he wanted to actively work on. _Don Juan Triumphant_ had been such a large part of his life. He had worked on that opera for over twenty years. For it to have ended the way it did, in such humiliation and disaster, was such a disappointment.

The more he thought about it, the more Erik liked the idea of creating a new opera. He wanted to erase the pain his previous opera had caused him, and maybe, just maybe, a new opera would give him the opportunity to see his love once again. Erik turned to the piano, frowning a bit at the fact it wasn't his organ, but it would do. It would have to do. He had no other choice.

* * *

 **Daina**

Daina woke up, cocooned in the bedsheets she had dragged over her while she was sleeping. She walked downstairs after changing her favorite dark blue jeans and a Star Wars tee shirt, relieved to hear music coming from the music room. She was surprised that he was actually moving on already, after all, it _had_ only been two days since he was left, heartbroken, to die by the woman he loved. Slightly worried that he was moving on a bit too fast, Daina hurried into the music room.

* * *

Once she entered, the full blast of emotion that his music produced hit her. It wasn't love, exactly. His music evoked the sense of… affection with a slight bit of obsession mixed with hope, guilt, and shame, an odd mixture if one didn't know his backstory. She was unsure just how long she stayed in the doorway when Erik stiffened, and turned around, finally realizing that someone else was in the room.

His glare softened just a tiny bit when he saw who had entered the room. Daina gave him a small smile before walking towards him.

"I really loved it. It was so… so emotional. Every single story I read always mentioned that you were a musical genious. I've always wanted to hear you play, especially a piece of your own creation. That was one of yours, right? It sounded… it sounded like you."

* * *

 **Erik**

He knew his only redeeming quality was his artistic ability. Music was, after all, the one thing that he had to give Christine. Erik was going to change that, though. The money he accumulated from years of salary from the Opera House was a large incentive for any woman. At this point, he had more money than the de Chagny family. If he was able to become a successful member of society, he just might be able to convince her to marry him. He would not just allow, but _encourage_ her career, and they would resume her lessons so she could reach even greater heights.

Erik had been so absorbed in his creation of his latest piece that it took him a while to notice that someone was watching him. He heard a small shuffle, and quickly turned around, ready to yell at whoever had entered the room without his permission. After all, he was used to being alone in his house by the lake whenever he was composing. Once he realized it was Daina, however, he relaxed, if only slightly.

"I've decided" he said as a greeting, turning back to the piano.

"Really? That was quick" Erik heard her reply.

"It was only natural to choose composing. It's the most likely path to get Christine back. She's always been so involved in music, she's bound to still go to shows even if her _fiancé_ " he spat the word out as if it physically hurt him to say it. "Doesn't allow her to perform anymore. Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't have twenty years to perfect this opera like I did my previous one."

Erik became so engrossed in his music once again that he didn't notice Daina nod and leave the room, a slight look of disappointment on her face.

* * *

 **Daina**

She was slightly disappointed that she didn't get to listen to his composition, but she understood. More than that, however, she was sad that he was so focused on getting Christine back. Daina knew it would be hard, it had only been two days, but she had hoped that he was working towards moving _away_ from Christine, not trying to get her back.

Daina understood that it would take time, and more than a little convincing from her, to get him to give up on Christine, the way she gave up on him. In the meantime, however, all Daina could do was encourage his musical pursuits, and hope that closure would come in time, and lead to his happiness.

Daina didn't know what to do while Erik was occupied. Without her laptop or her phone, without internet or Netflix, most of what she did was out the window. Even when she read, which she _did_ love to do, she read her Nook Books on her iPad. Everything was tied to electronics, it seemed.

Figuring now would be a good time to start reading the classic books she had always wanted to read, like _Pride and Prejudice_ and _Jane Eyre_. She made her way into the library, only to be disappointed yet again when she learned that all the books were in either French, or other languages that she did not know. Sighing, Daina grabbed a book at random, and left the library, intending on retrieving her English-French dictionary. She figured that as long as she was in France, she mind as well try to learn some French, even if the task seemed impossible.

On the way to her room to retrieve the dictionary, Daina ran into the maid from the day before yet again. The maid still had a look about her of disapproval. Daina knew that this maid thought she was a prostitute, and would look down on her for it, but didn't really care.

"What are you doing here? What do you want with M. Destler?" The maid obviously didn't like Daina, and was doing nothing to hide it. Daina was unsure of why the maid was so protective of Erik; he had come to the manor the same time she had. She knew Erik was someone who both needed and deserved protection, but people usually needed time to earn such a fierce protective attitude.

"I'm here to help Er… M. Destler."

"Help? Help with what?" The maid was obviously suspicious of Daina, which made sense. Daina showed up out of the blue, dragging with her an unconscious Erik, and now was thought of to be a prostitute who was staying with him. She was sure that the maid thought she was taking advantage of him, no wonder saying that she was helping him would confuse the maid.

"I am an… old friend of Erik's. He's working on an opera, and I'm here to help him, provide support, whatever I can do to help."

The maid nodded, a look of suspicion still on her face, before turning around and stalking away, her arms full of towels.

Daina continued to her room, knowing that the woman did not trust her, did not like her, and could most likely make her life difficult.

* * *

After half an hour of trying to translate the book, Daina gave up. It was way too complex for her meager French. _Apparently knowing bonjour and croissant will not help me with this._ The only way she was going to learn French, was to get somebody to help her, and the only people who might be willing to help her were Erik, who was occupied with his composing, and Cecilia.

She left her room once again and headed to the kitchen. When she arrived, she noticed that the kitchen was empty. Curious, Daina attempted to find Cecilia. While searching the manor, she ran into M. Alban, who mentioned that Cecilia was outside. Daina left the manor, surprised to see a large area of land. She could see a large flower garden and a maze, with what looked like woods and even a lake in the distance. Excited to explore the area she had accidentally come across, Daina forgot all about finding Cecilia.

* * *

After getting lost in the maze, and looking briefly in the flower garden, Daina was wondering around when she came across another part of the enclosed land, the vegetable garden. She saw Cecilia, picking green beans, and called out a greeting.

"Do you need any help?" Daina questioned, feeling bad that everyone else was working, and she was not doing anything. After all, Erik had not asked her for rent or any sort of payment at this point, she felt she should be doing _something_ to earn her keep. After enthusiastically accepting Daina's offer, she and Cecilia continued to pick vegetables, settling into a comfortable conversation discussing how beautiful the lawn was.

During their conversation, Daina spotted a small, black and white, furry shape creep around the edges of the garden. She stopped talking, not wanting to scare the creature away, or antagonize it if was not friendly. Cecilia looked up at Daina's sudden silence, curious about why she had stopped talking. Daina silently pointed out the shape, and the two women watched it come closer, unsure of what it was. It turned a corner, and they breathed out a sigh of relief, realizing that it was just a cat. The two looked at each other, then back at the cat, both smiling at the cuteness of the kitten. Motioning for Daina to stay there, Cecilia left the garden.

She returned a few minutes later with a bowl of cream. They offered the cat the bowl, slowly backing away in attempt to not scare the cat away. The cat crept closer, sniffing the bowl, until it began to settle down and lap up the cream. The kitten seemed extremely suspicious, its eyes darting every which way, looking for danger. Dana was confused, until she slowly approached the cat, and noticed the many wounds across its back. It looked like the cat had been attacked by a larger animal, claw marks raked down its right side. She let out a gasp, then quickly regretted it as the cat tensed, ready to either fight, or run away. Daina slowly extended her hand. The cat drew back, but as Daina left her hand out, ready to be sniffed, showing that she had no weapon, the cat slowly leaned forward and sniffed the offered appendage. Realizing that there was no danger, the kitten allowed Daina to scratch behind her ears.

Daina reached forward and picked up the kitten, who hissed as her clothes brushed up against its wounds. Quickly changing the position that she was holding the cat, Daina made sure that she was not further hurting the animal. She and Cecilia looked at each other, silently agreeing that they had to help the poor animal.

* * *

After tending to the wounded animal, whom she and Cecilia had named Claire after discovering the kitten was a girl, Daina realized that it was after 6 at night. Upon discovering that Erik had not eaten at all that day, she brought him a tray containing grapes, bread, cheese, and milk. She walked into the music room, trying to be as quiet as possible, and left the tray on a table covered in papers next to the piano before turning to leave. As she was leaving, she heard Erik say "What is _that_ doing here _?"_ Daina turned to see Claire had not only followed her in, but had jumped on the table, knocked over several pieces of paper, and was drinking his milk.

* * *

 **Well, he decided on what he wants! Too bad he's still hung up on Christine. It will probably take a lot to get him to move on. I wonder if Diana can actually do that?**

 **Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, favorites, or follows. I know I always say this, but every time I mean it more and more. It really means a lot to me that you guys are actually interested in what I might write.**

 **I'll try to post as much as I can, but this next month is getting kind of busy, my aunt is getting married in October, but her bridal shower and bachelorette party are both this month, and I'm going to be both helping and attending both. And after this month, I'll be back in school. So I will still be writing and posting, but the time between chapters may get longer.**

 **I do not own the Phantom of the Opera, only my OCs.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Daina**

"That," she started, hoping that the stories were right and Erik loved cats. "Would be Claire. Cecilia and I found her outside, which, by the way, is impressive. Do you ever go out there? It's fantastic!"

She waited in silence for Erik's reply, hoping that he wasn't angry for the interruption. Just as she was really starting to get worried, Daina was startled to hear Erik suddenly laugh. He turned to the kitten and offered his hands, obviously knowing how to deal with the animal.

"Claire. I like it. Suits her." He scratched her behind the ears, earning a purr that was barely heard.

Daina let out a long breath, relieved that he wasn't going to start yelling. She didn't know how the cat would take it. There were several indications that the animal was still traumatized from her attack. She accepted Cecilia's presence, actually seemed to like Daina's touch, but whenever the maid or M. Alban came close, she would hiss and prepare to pounce.

"I'd be careful. She does seem to like you, but when we found her she appeared to have been recently attacked by something. The only people she was letting near her were Cecilia and I, and she wouldn't even let Cecilia pet her. I hope it's okay if she stays here, I don't want to throw her out in her condition."

"Of course she can stay here; I wouldn't want to throw her out either." Daina had to smile at that. Erik didn't even seem to notice that he was letting his softer side show; he was too absorbed in stroking Claire's long, black fur. At the moment it was very brittle and had some bare spots- indicating that she had been sick. Claire- at the very least- had been exposed to very bad nutrition. Daina hoped that with a proper diet, and proper care, the kitten would be healthy.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it." She glanced at the table, remembering how Claire had been lapping up Erik's milk. "I'll get you some new milk first. Claire seems to have claimed yours."

After retrieving a new glass of milk for Erik, Daina returned back to the kitchen, remembering why she had gone to look for Cecilia in the first place. Nervously, she asked Cecilia for lessons, offering to help prep dinner or do dishes as payment, as Daina had no cooking skills. Cecilia just laughed the offer off, saying that she would be happy to give Daina lessons. After insisting that she wanted to help in some way, Cecilia let Daina chop up vegetables for a stew.

* * *

The days passed by quickly, and the house seemed to fall into a routine. Every day, Erik would retreat into the music room, and wouldn't leave until late at night. The only reason that he was even eating was that Daina would bring him lunch and dinner every day; like she had the day he decided to compose a new opera to try and get Christine back. She knew that having Christine in Erik's life once again was not a good idea, but knew that she could not be the one to tell him. While he had made little progress emotionally, he had started making progress with a career that hopefully would make him happy. Daina didn't know how to tread around the delicate situation. She decided to leave the situation as it was, scared that she would only make everything worse.

Daina was getting better at French. She was by no means fluent, barely even good. Even though she had taken Spanish in college, even gotten some college credit for it, she was always better at reading it than speaking it. But there was some overlap, so she could understand what others were saying half the time now as opposed to never, even if she couldn't respond back.

Claire was getting better. Her fur was healthier, and even though she wouldn't go anywhere near anybody who wasn't Erik, Daina, or Cecilia, she spent half her time with Daina and half with Erik. Daina was happy that Erik would have some company who wouldn't judge him, who might bring out a softer side to him. She always liked when Erik showed who he actually was, instead of the hard outer shell that he had been forced to create when he was little. She wanted to show him that he didn't need that protection anymore, and hoped that Claire would help him see that.

Daina was in the library, once again attempting to translate a book and this time actually getting somewhere, when she heard the music stop. Erik had been working on his opera for around two and a half weeks at this point, and Daina could feel the music getting angrier; obviously Erik was becoming frustrated with something. Giving up on the book, she went to the music room, only hesitating a moment before knocking on the door.

* * *

 **Erik**

Erik was startled, as well as a little confused. Daina usually didn't knock on the door when she brought him his meals. He walked over to the door, practically stomping in his frustration- the opera was not going as well as he had hoped- before throwing the door open. Glaring down at Daina for the interruption, he was surprised when he didn't see any fear in her eyes from his anger. Instead, she just smiled and walked under his arm, which was still holding the door, into the room.

"You, or rather, your music, sounds angry. What's up?"

Erik blinked, his confusion growing. Not only was he confused that she had calmly walked past him, plopping herself down on a seat near the piano, instead of running in fear like most would when facing the anger of The Phantom of the Opera, but her words confused him as well.

"What… What's up? I do not know the meaning of the use of these words." He looked up. Did she possibly mean the ceiling? Or did she mean something about what was in the sky?

He was brought back down to earth when he heard Daina laugh. "Sorry, forgot you wouldn't know what that means. What I meant was: What's happening? How are you doing? You look like you need a break."

"I don't need a break! What I need to do is focus on my composing until I get my opera finished the way I want as soon as possible. I need to see Christine again and convince her to leave him as soon as I can, before it is too late."

"Erik…" Daina began, and Erik was so shocked to hear his given name said that he didn't hear the rest of what she said. "Erik? Are you listening? Did you hear anything that I said?" He continued to stare at her until she seemed to realize what she had said. _Is this really the first time I've said his name to him?_ Daina couldn't help but wonder. She had spent so much time referring to him as Erik in her mind, she forgot that during the first couple days she had not called him by his given name, only said that she knew he was the Phantom, and that in the past couple weeks, they had not spoken at all, Erik too busy with his composing.

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her face seeming both embarrassed and apologetic at once. "I'm so sorry! I know that in this time using someone's first name indicates… well… things… but in my time it's not such a big deal. Anyway, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean anything."

"No, it is perfectly fine." He struggled getting out the words. Erik wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, it felt nice to have someone call him something other than the Opera Ghost, Devil's Child, or Phantom of the Opera. Only Antoinette and Nadir had ever called him by his name, the name his mother hadn't even wanted to give him. Not even Christine had called him by his name; she didn't even know it. She had never even asked. Now he knew why Daina had never asked either, she already knew.

He shook himself out of his stupor, once again realizing that Daina was still there, waiting for something.

"What?" It came out harsher than he wanted, angry at himself for… he wasn't really sure why he was angry at himself this time, but he knew he was.

"I said… you look overworked. You need a break, even if I have to drag you out of this room myself. I know you want to get this opera done; I know you want to see… Christine… again, but your health takes precedence over everything." She grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the room. Erik was shocked once again, that anybody would ever voluntarily touch him, especially when they were doing so to care for his well-being, that he didn't put up a fight being dragged out, and didn't even notice that when Daina said Christine's name, she had more of a hint of disgust in her voice.

* * *

 **Daina**

She knew that while Erik was a musical genius, it could be a positive, or a negative. If he got too deep into his creation, he would become obsessed. Over the past two weeks, he had gotten very unhealthy, very quickly. Not like I'm a good judge though. Daina knew she was being a hypocrite. How many days during the summer had she only gotten out of bed- where she had access to her laptop- only for food, the bathroom, or to take a relaxing bath?

This isn't about me, though. Besides, I actually eat on my own, he has to be forced.

Not knowing where Erik would want to go, she decided to take him outside. He had spent too much time holed up in the house, and before that, in the depths of the Opera House. Who knew the last time he had gone outside?

She stopped in the kitchen first, quickly throwing items in a basket, deciding that a picnic would be a good idea. Ever since Daina had discovered the amazing land surrounding the manor, she had spent part of everyday exploring. She was amazed at the weather. Daina had always loved the cold, and was relieved that it was always slightly cool, but with little to no mosquitoes. Because of this, she spent more time outdoors now than she ever had at home, frequently eating lunch or snacks outside.

* * *

As soon as she dragged Erik outside, she headed straight towards the small lake she had discovered the third day she had been exploring. It had instantly become her favorite place on the lands.

Erik obviously had spent no time out here, or outside at all. His pale skin, while seemingly very fair while indoors, was practically shining outside. She hoped that spending a little amount of time each day would give him a healthy glow, or at least help him lose the sickly pallor that his face currently resembled. Daina knew that never going outside was not the only cause of this, but a poor diet and poor sleep habit were also to blame. She decided to start giving more food than she currently was, and more fruits and vegetables with it, along with trying to get him to get some sleep.

Sitting on the ground, the basket temporarily forgotten, Daina turned her face to the sun. She sat like that for a few minutes, before realizing that Erik was still standing, obviously unsure of what to do.

"For the love of…. Sit down, you idiot!" Daina laughed, grabbing his hand once again, she pulled him down to sit next to her. His movements were stiff; the fact that he was uncomfortable was obvious.

"Isn't it nice to get out of the house? It's wonderful, don't get me wrong, but it's so wonderful out here. Back home, I didn't spend that much time outside unless I had to, but it's so beautiful here, it's hard to not want to spend time out here, don't you think?"

She looked over at Erik, hoping for a response, but received none. Daina sighed. He still seemed so stiff, so uncomfortable, but behind that, he still seemed sad.

"You need to get outside sometimes. It's not healthy to be inside all the time, you know?"

Erik still said nothing. Sighing, resigned to the idea that he would not talk, Daina turned to the basket, pulling out some bread, cheese, and grapes. She passed Erik a slice of bread with cheese, along with a bundle of grapes. He didn't want to take the food, but she was stubborn, and wouldn't take no for an answer.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Daina staring at the scenery before her, Erik staring at the ground. Daina broke the silence. "You know, I took you out here so that you could get some sun. It really doesn't do any good for half of your face to be covered up, you might want to take your mask off."

She finally got a response. Angrily, Erik stood up, towering over the smaller woman who didn't realize that what she said would infuriate him.

"You insult me, you ask me to take off my mask, why? Do you want to see the Devil's Child? The face that terrorized hundreds? You want to berate me, humiliate me further? Is that it?" He stood, fuming, his hands balled into fists, his face twisted into an expression of intense anger. Erik glowered down at Daina, who gaped up at him, unsure of what to say.

* * *

 **I'm getting a bit of writer's block at the moment, I have ideas for what will eventually happen in the story, but am struggling with leading to those events. So things might be slower. Sorry that this one was longer than usual, but that might become normal- again, sorry.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, favorites or follows. It really means a lot to me.**

 **As always, I do not own Phantom of the Opera, just my OC.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Erik**

To say he was angry would be an understatement. This woman, this… strange woman- to say the least- had come from nowhere with a strange story. Erik was already suspicious of her and her story, but now she had gotten him alone, she had insulted him, and now she was telling him to take off his mask? It was the last straw. He could take no more. Now, she would learn who she was dealing with.

However, to his surprise, Daina hadn't gone running. She hadn't jumped up, screaming. She hadn't shrunk away in fear. Normally anyone who faced the anger of the Phantom of the Opera became extremely terrified, whether or not he was wearing his mask. He watched, stunned, unbelieving as she looked at him, shock and confusion written clearly across her face. For several tense moments, it seemed like she couldn't speak.

"What are you talking about?" asked Diana finally. "I've seen you with your mask off before. I'm the one that rescued you from the fire, remember? The fire caused you to become ill, and you developed a fever. Didn't you wonder what had happened when you woke up, your face covered with a damp cloth, with your mask on the table next to the bed? Erik, I was in your bed with you. Do you really think that I haven't already seen your face?"

Now it was Erik's turn to be speechless. He had forgotten the confusion he had felt when he woke up that first night, not knowing how he had gotten into a bed with a woman, and without his mask on. While he had wondered if she had seen his face, once he started talking to Diana and she hadn't shown a hint of fear, he dismissed the idea, believing that she would have already ran away if she had seen what was underneath his mask.

He stood there, not knowing what to do at the moment. Eventually, he mustered up the courage to ask

"But… but why did you insult me? Did you not take me out here just to insult and humiliate me, once we were away from the manor?"

Diana once again looked confused.

"When did I insult you? If I said anything that offended you, I'm truly sorry."

"You called me an idiot" Erik pointed out, looking hurt. He was all too used to people insulting him, calling him ugly, a devil, unfit to walk the Earth, the list went on and on. But he never had anyone insult his intelligence. It was one of the only things he was proud of, along with his ability with music and art. He was startled at the sound of Daina laughing. The dagger that seemed to be forever in his heart, hurting him with every word that others said about him, seemed to go a little deeper.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as an insult. It's… oh, it's hard to explain. In my time, insults like that are sometimes not taken seriously when talking to friends. It's like teasing, not mocking. I call my friends and family idiot or bastard when they do something that I'm not happy with, not something that makes me angry, exactly, more like a little annoyance."

Still not entirely sure what she was talking about, and not sure if he should be insulted by what she said or happy that she called him a friend, he sat down next to Daina once more. He moved hesitantly, half expecting her to rip off his mask and start laughing, or to belittle him. Once he was seated and nothing had happened, he started to relax a little.

* * *

 **Daina**

She could see the muscles in his shoulders and arm relax slightly, but they were still so tense she was afraid they might snap. Moving slowly, she touched Erik on the arm, trying to give him some comfort. Daina cursed herself. She should have known that he was sensitive to these sorts of things! Knowing his history, this was the only outcome that seemed likely. Erik gave a small jump as her hand came into contact with his arm. Daina saw him look down at her hand, then up at her, confusion, hesitation, and a little bit of happiness shown through his eyes and on the half of his face that she could see.

Daina spoke softly, choosing her words carefully as she didn't want him to become startled or angry again.

"Erik, I'm not saying you have to take your mask off. I'm only suggesting that it might be easier to eat, and you would get the sun you need, if you took it off. If you would rather I not see your face again, I will turn away. I don't want you to do anything you don't feel comfortable with."

He looked at her with several moments. She shivered slightly; the intensity of his gaze seemed to penetrate her soul, but she continued to stare right back into his eyes, not wanting Erik to think she was afraid of him. Slowly, he looked away and took his mask off, setting it down next to him, making sure that she was unable to see his face.

Daina smiled and clapped her hands, breaking the tension that had been in the air since Erik's outburst, and causing him to jump once more.

"Fantastic! Here, have some food."

She started handing him the plate of cheese, grapes, and bread once more, before remembering something.

"Oh! Here, you should put this on your face. It's from home."

Erik looked at the bottle Daina handed him, seemingly unsure of what to do with it.

"It's sunscreen, SPF 50. I always have to wear sunscreen when I go out, my skin seems to only have two settings: pale and burnt. I prefer the one that isn't painful and doesn't lead to skin cancer. I figured that your skin might also have the same tendencies, what with you spending most of your time indoors, but because you are mostly covered up only your face needs it. Plus, your face is probably more sensitive, being that you wear a mask most of the time."

With that, she sat back down, facing away from Erik to give him the privacy he seemed to need so much, to enjoy the sun, food, and company, even if it was silent.

After an hour, all the food was gone, and it seemed like Erik had finally relaxed. Daina figured it might be safe to try a conversation once again.

"So…" Daina started, unsure how he would react.

"How's your opera coming along? I know the first one took twenty years, does that timeline seem to be the same for this one?"

* * *

 **Erik**

After so much silence, Erik jumped at the sound of Diana's voice. _Seriously?_ He thought. _No one has ever been able to startle me this much in my entire life._ He thought over her question seriously though. He wasn't sure what to say. It seemed like the timeline for his current opera might be as long as, or even longer, as _Don Juan._ With every note he played, every sentence of dialogue he wrote for the characters, he seemed stuck. After a lifetime of inspiration, it seemed to have dried up right when he needed it the most. Was it the loss of Christine? Was it because he was no longer living in the Opera House? As much as he wanted to finish the opera so that he may one day see Christine again, his perfectionist tendencies keeped him from publishing a work that was sub par- and that would be a compliment to his current work.

Erik sighed, shaking his head.

"My current work has been going slowly, at best. It seems as if inspiration is not within my grasp at the moment."

Daina looked surprised.

"But I've heard you playing all the time, composing at all hours. How is it that you have no inspiration if you are always working?"

He blinked, surprised himself. He knew that everyone could hear him playing, but he was so used to no one paying attention to what he was doing at any given moment. Erik had never had someone question what he was doing, besides the Droga of course, but no one had ever asked him how he was doing, or to even pay attention to his actions to be able to ask him about them.

"As you pointed out before we came here today, my compositions have turned angry. I have been playing my previous compositions, attempting to get into a mindset from before when I was inspired. However, it is not working, and all I have been able to do is play meaningless, harsh pieces that would not work for the opera I am attempting to create."

Daina looked at him, squinting her eyes as if thinking to a solution to the problem.

"Maybe that's what's wrong then. You keep trying to go back to when you were inspired, but that's not where you are anymore. You have to look elsewhere to become inspired again, look for new inspiration for this new chapter in your life. It doesn't make sense for you to attempt to go backwards, when you should be moving forwards. Your music should reflect where you are now, where you are going, not where you were. I understand that you were inspired while you were in the Opera House, but you don't live there anymore. You no longer need to be underground the entire time, you don't need to sneak in the shadows, you don't need to rely on fear and anger to get others to listen to you. Erik, you need to find new inspiration in your new life, so that you can compose music and create an opera that comes from how you feel now, not how you felt then."

Erik stared at Daina, unsure what to say. Did she really mean what she said? Did he really have a new life? As he thought about it, he realized that she was right. There was no use looking back to the past. He had to look forward.

At that moment, he didn't realize that he was just letting go of his time in the Opera House, he was already letting go of Christine, moving towards the new female in his life, the only one who had ever seemed to care about him, the real him.

* * *

 **I'm so, so sorry that it's taken me this long to update. I got busy with school, but now that it's out for the summer I can hopefully write more and update soon. Again, I have a bit of writer's block, not sure how to get to the next part in the story, even if I know what the next part is. This chapter was a bit of a struggle, which is why it is short. Leave ideas in the comments, who knows, they might help me come up with my own, or even be incorporated into the next chapter!**

 **Everyone who comments, follows, faves, or even just reads this really makes my day. I'm glad I'm not writing this for just myself, that other people actually enjoy what I am writing.**

 **I hope I am able to update soon, so hopefully you will hear from me again this month, if not the month after!**


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